2008 Woodie Awards
Liberalism in the Liberal Arts
Is it right for schools to balance liberal and conservative professors?
Mara Carpenter
Issue date: 4/22/04 Section: Opinions
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Many conservatives have taken offense to the unequal distribution of liberal to conservative teachers in college (liberal 10: conservative 1), and they're ready to take action. But could this mean that Big Brother รก la "1984," a.k.a. big government, is ready to watch Lakeland?
President of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, in California, David Horowitz is heading this conservative movement that is supposed to create more equality in education. However, what may seem like a good thing-balancing conservative and liberal view- points-may become a regime of thought control!
Horowitz proposed an "Academic Bill of Rights" to Congress that would drastically change your college education. This bill of rights would require all colleges, even Lakeland, to give tenure/hire a certain quota of conservative teachers, create specified course reading lists, and hire more conservative speakers.
On the surface this seems like a great idea; after all, we'll have more points-of-view, right? Wrong. This "Academic Bill of Rights" would prevent open class discussion. For example, a student asked history professor Gerald Wilson from Duke University if he had any prejudices. Wilson replied, "Yeah, Republicans," as a joke. However, a conservative took it the wrong way-Wilson makes fun of conservatives and liberals equally. The angered student dropped the class because he didn't feel he should be offended in school (http://chronicle.com). While mild at first, this example-with the "Academic Bill of Rights" could snowball.
The "Academic Bill of Rights" would prevent teachers from discussing non-class related issues-or even perhaps issues that may offend another! Are we becoming a little too PC? I think so. And isn't one of the purposes of college to promote healthy discussion and even debate? Debate is good, but you will always encounter views you don't agree with, so what? You don't have to change your opinion. Debate can help you reaffirm what you believe; it can also help you discover something new.
President of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, in California, David Horowitz is heading this conservative movement that is supposed to create more equality in education. However, what may seem like a good thing-balancing conservative and liberal view- points-may become a regime of thought control!
Horowitz proposed an "Academic Bill of Rights" to Congress that would drastically change your college education. This bill of rights would require all colleges, even Lakeland, to give tenure/hire a certain quota of conservative teachers, create specified course reading lists, and hire more conservative speakers.
On the surface this seems like a great idea; after all, we'll have more points-of-view, right? Wrong. This "Academic Bill of Rights" would prevent open class discussion. For example, a student asked history professor Gerald Wilson from Duke University if he had any prejudices. Wilson replied, "Yeah, Republicans," as a joke. However, a conservative took it the wrong way-Wilson makes fun of conservatives and liberals equally. The angered student dropped the class because he didn't feel he should be offended in school (http://chronicle.com). While mild at first, this example-with the "Academic Bill of Rights" could snowball.
The "Academic Bill of Rights" would prevent teachers from discussing non-class related issues-or even perhaps issues that may offend another! Are we becoming a little too PC? I think so. And isn't one of the purposes of college to promote healthy discussion and even debate? Debate is good, but you will always encounter views you don't agree with, so what? You don't have to change your opinion. Debate can help you reaffirm what you believe; it can also help you discover something new.